Proud graduates say goodbye to Blue Hills

Leila Chow, the valedictorian of Blue Hills Regional Technical School's Class of 2014, told her classmates at Tuesday's graduation ceremony that their school is special because every student chose to enroll there.

CANTON - Leila Chow, the valedictorian of Blue Hills Regional Technical School’s Class of 2014, told her classmates that their school is special because every student chose to enroll there.

She reminisced about how, when she decided she wanted to attend Blue Hills, her middle school teachers asked her if she didn’t want to go to college, or insinuated that she might think she was stupid.

“Well,” Chow said defiantly as she stood on stage in the rain Tuesday evening, “I look around me and see that Blue Hills Graduates are practical, independent thinkers who don’t buy into the narrow-minded mentality that working with your hands is for lesser people.”

During her address, Chow spoke about the students’ bright futures and thanked their teachers for their support as they rebuked some of the stereotypes surrounding vocational schools. According to a yearbook survey conducted by the seniors, over 80 percent of the 191 graduates plan on attending college.

State Sen. Brian Joyce, who was guest speaker at the graduation, congratulated the students. “You have laid the foundation for the rest of your life,” he said. “Now it’s time to decide what to build on top of that foundation.”

Joyce said that if the students remain focused on their goals, there is no doubt they can achieve them. He quoted former President Calvin Coolidge, who once said, “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence.”